Agreement Offers New Hope For Landmine and Bomb Survivors in Vietnam

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia - Clear Path International and the International Trust for Demining & Mine Victims Assistance (ITF) signed a partnership agreement this week that could bring more than $200,000 in new funding for CPI's survivor assistance work in central Vietnam.

The agreement with ITF, a nonprofit organization founded in 1998 by the Republic of Slovenia to support post-conflict rehabilitation in the neighboring, war-torn Balkans, opens the door to long-term collaboration between the two organizations in Southeast Asia.

Clear Path International to Assist Afghan Landmine Survivors As Part of U.S. Department of State Contract

KABUL, Afghanistan – Clear Path International (CPI), a U.S.-based humanitarian mine action nonprofit organization, has received a multi-year contract from DynCorp International to start a landmine survivor assistance program in Afghanistan on behalf of the U.S. Department of State.

With an average of 90 casualties from landmine and explosive remnants of war per month, Afghanistan is one of the world’s most “mine-affected” countries. Nearly half of all casualties die trying to reach a hospital. One in every 10 adult men is a victim of a landmine or explosive remnant of war. Women and children are also victims. Landmine and explosive remnants of war contaminate 27 of the country’s 29 provinces.

Clear Path’s subcontract with DynCorp International supports program design, led by long-time CPI consultant Kristen Leadem in Kabul, and survivors assistance services at least through 2008. It is part of larger humanitarian mine-action effort sponsored by the Department of State’s Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement.

”The intention of the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement program in Afghanistan is to complement existing efforts here and increase capacity in support of Afghanistan's national survivors assistance plan,” Leadem said.
Survivor assistance services range from medical care, physical mobility and rehabilitation to vocational training, income-generation, and sports activities. Capacity building services can include equipment, training and technical support to local hospitals, clinics and community-based rehabilitation centers.

Clear Path International Supports Congressional Bill Limiting the Use and Export of Cluster Bombs

Clear Path International has announced it supports a bill to be introduced by Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) and Diane Feinstein (D-California) that would restrict the use of clusters bombs by the United States and its allies.

As one of the most active U.S.-based humanitarian mine action organizations operating in central Vietnam, where millions of cluster munitions were used and where they still kill and maim, Clear Path said the bill, though not an outright ban, is a significant first step in protecting civilians.